Utopia Pdx - United Territories Of Pacific Islanders Alliance Portlan

TO PROVIDE SAFE AND SACRED SPACES TO STRENGTHEN THE MINDS AND BODIES OF QUEER AND TRANSGENDER PACIFIC ISLANDERS.

OHA, HEALTH SHARE & UNITED WAY CBO RESPONSE TO COVID-19: AS A CBO (COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION) UTOPIA PDX CONTINUED TO RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY AND HEALTH SHARE OF OREGON DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR TO HELP PROTECT PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES FROM THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. CBOS ARE CRITICAL TO THE RESPONSE TO COVID-19. IN MAY 2020, OREGON RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT TO SUPPORT AN EQUITY-CENTERED APPROACH TO ACTIVE MONITORING, TESTING, AND VACCINATION AGAINST COVID-19. OUR CONTRACT WITH OHA WAS EXTENDED TO JUNE 2023 WITH AN INCREASE IN FUNDING. WITH AN INCREASE IN COVID-19 CASES IN 2021, SELECTED CBOS, LIKE UTOPIA PDX, HAVE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE : 1 ) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ; CONTACT TRACING; AND SOCIAL SERVICES AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES, 2) REIMBURSEMENT FOR ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE-RELATED DIRECT COSTS. IN ADDITION, IN 2021 UTOPIA PDX STARTED COLLABORATING WITH OHA AND OTHER CBO'S TO SET UP COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS IN COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL EVENTS. WITH THESE EFFORTS, UTOPIA PDX HAS CONTRIBUTED PACIFIC ISLANDERS HAVING THE HIGHEST VACCINATION RATES IN PORTLAND AND THE REST OF OREGON.

ACCESSING AFFIRMING RESOURCESDURING THIS FISCAL YEAR (2022-2023), UTOPIA PDX STARTED TO OPEN UP AND HAVE IN-PERSON EVENTS AGAIN AS COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS HAD BEEN LIFTED. WHILE MOST OF OUR IN-PERSON EVENTS CONTINUED TO BE COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS, TESTING, AND EVENTS FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND DISTRIBUTION OF NEEDED RESOURCES FOR OUR PI AND LGBTQ COMMUNITIESTHEREFORE, WE ALSO STARTED TO HOLD SOME OF OUR REGULAR PROGRAMS LIKE WE HAD BEEN HOLDING BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.AAPCHO (ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS): AAPCHO CONTINUED TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS LOCATED ACROSS 37 CONTINENTAL U.S. STATES AND TWO (2) HAWAI'I ISLANDS, INCLUDING UTOPIA PDX, TO HIRE, TRAIN, AND DEPLOY A NATIONAL WORKFORCE, AND ENHANCE LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE WITH THE INTENTION OF REACHING AT LEAST 36 ASIAN, ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER (A/AA AND NH/PI) COMMUNITIES. THE COLLABORATION WITH AAPCHO PROVIDED EXTRA RESOURCES FOR OUR COVID-19 EFFORTS, AND IN RETURN UTOPIA PDX COLLECTED NEEDED DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ACCESS OUR COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS.PASIFIKA LEADS PROGRAM: OUR GOALS WERE PARTLY ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE CONTINUATION OF OUR LEADS (LANGUAGE, EATING/COOKING, ARTS, DANCING, AND COOKING) CULTURAL PROGRAMMING. THE FIRST YEAR (2020) WAS FOCUSED ON PALAUAN CULTURE WITH THE PROGRAMMING HAVING TO EVENTUALLY SHIFT TO VIRTUAL EVENTS WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC STARTED. THE SECOND YEAR, OUR LEADS PROGRAM WAS FOCUSED ON HAWAIIAN CULTURE AND WAS A HYBRID IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING DEPENDING ON CHANGES IN LOCAL COVID MANDATES. UTOPIA PDX COLLABORATED WITH KALO (KA AHA LHUI O OLEKONA) HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON (KALO HCC) TO HOST FREE MONTHLY INTERACTIVE HLOA (CULTURAL) WORKSHOPS TO SHARE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE, FOOD, ARTS, DANCE, AND SONGS INTERWOVEN WITHIN HAWAIIAN CULTURE AND HISTORY AND INCORPORATE IT WITH HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN THE PRESENT-DAY SITUATION OF LIVING THROUGH A PANDEMIC EVENT. SIX SUCCESSFUL HLOA WORKSHOPS WERE CONDUCTED IN JULY AND AUGUST OF 2021, WITH A CELEBRATION HELD ON AUGUST 28, 2021.

MCHD: FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, MULTNOMAH COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT (MCHD) PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH UTOPIA PDX AND OTHER DIVERSE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS (CBOS) TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER (CHW) SERVICES TO MEMBERS OF THE IDENTIFIED POPULATION THAT TEST POSITIVE FOR COVIDI9. COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (CHW'S) ARE FRONTLINE PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS WHO ARE TRUSTED MEMBERS OF AND/OR HAVE A CLOSE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMMUNITY SERVED.

THE COLLINS FOUNDATION: COLLINS FOUNDATION AWARDED UTOPIA PDX WITH A GRANT IN ORDER TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO BUILD CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 2022 TO SEPTEMBER 2025. AS OUR ORGANIZATION GREW TREMENDOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE SOUGHT OUT AN EXPERIENCED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMING, FISCAL MANAGEMENT, FUNDRAISING, AND OVERALL VISION FOR THE ORGANIZATION.A BOARD RETREAT IS BEING PLANNED FOR JUNE 2023, WHERE OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER, COMPLETE STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOPS, REVIEW AND UPDATE OUR BOD BYLAWS AND PROCESSES, BOARD TRAINING, AND WERE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE GAPS IN OUR BOD.AS WE CAME OUT OF COVID FUNDING, WE STRUGGLED TO FIND FINANCIAL STABILITY AS WELL AS WHAT OUR MISSION-ALIGNED JOURNEY TRULY LOOKED LIKE. THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, THE COLLINS FUNDING ENSURED THAT WE HAD THE NECESSARY FUNDS TO MAINTAIN SUPPORT STAFF INCLUDING OUR OPERATIONS COORDINATOR AND MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER.